By David Larkin
Fencibles United’s draw with Metro last weekend has prevented them from claiming the Lotto NRFL Men’s Championship title.
What’s more, nearest rivals Manukau United gained ground with a 3-2 win over Ellerslie to keep the title fight alive for at least another week.
Manukau are four points behind Fencibles with six points still to play for.
Fencibles dropped points to 11th-placed Metro last week, conceding a goal in injury time and failing to win for a second week in a row.
Fencibles’ point has, however, eliminated Ngaruawahia United from title contention.
The Waikato side sit seven points behind the league leaders, and will turn their attention to chasing down Manukau for the promotion play-off position.
Fencibles can wrap up the title this weekend with a win at Ellerslie or if Manukau fail to at least draw their match against Ngaruawahia.
At the other end of the table, Metro’s point against Fencibles means they are only two points from safety.
The struggle to get clear of the relegation zone is complicated by the half-time abandonment of last week’s match between North Shore and Takapuna after North Shore striker Brodie Putt suffered a serious injury.
Takapuna had gone a goal up in the first half, but due to the nature of the injury and the worsening weather conditions, the decision was made to abandon the match.
Metro host an out-of-form Mt Albert Ponsonby side on Friday and will need to pick up all three points to give themselves a chance to escape the relegation zone heading into the final round of the season next week.
Takapuna are only two points above relegation, but have more than a decent chance at staying up as they take on cellar dwellers Franklin on Saturday; three points in that fixture would ensure their survival.
North Shore are the third team fighting to avoid the second relegation spot and are three points above Metro.
Shore are faced with an away fixture on Friday against an Onehunga Mangere side who have recently regained some of their early season form.
Both North Shore and Takapuna have a game in hand on Metro, as their abandoned match has to be rescheduled.
Northern Rovers have fallen away from the top three significantly in recent weeks, and a loss last weekend to Onehunga Mangere means they won’t be able to improve on their 4th place position.
Failing to claim victory in their away match against Coast on Saturday will, however, cede their spot to the Whangaparaoa-based side.
Game of the week
With only two rounds of action remaining, there’s everything to play for at the top of the table with both the title, and promotion play-off spots yet to be claimed.
The clash between Manukau United and Ngaruawahia United at Walter Massey Park on Saturday has the potential to decide second place and provide the chance to step up to next year’s Northern League.
Ngaruawahia held second place for the vast duration of the year but a slump in form heading into the second half of the season has hit them hard, resulting in them ceding the spot to Manukau.
The South Aucklanders have put together a string of consistent performances to hold the promotion play-off position, and have gained on leaders Fencibles in recent weeks.
Ngaruawahia are three points from Manukau but have a superior goal difference and an easier match in the last round, against Takapuna, while the South Auckland side take on Fencibles United.
The Green Machine snatched a win against Manukau in the reverse fixture back in round 10, a late own goal proving the difference between the two sides.
Player to watch
North Shore United’s Nick Petherick will need to step up this week as his side faces a tough schedule with two games to contend with, combined with an injury to their talisman Brodie Putt last weekend.
Petherick (19) has nine goals to his name for the season and trails Putt by only one goal in the club top scorer rankings.
Petherick made an instant impact when he transferred to Shore from Birkenhead last season, scoring a brace on his debut and then scoring another brace on his second game for the club.
The North Shore midfielder will need to put together some strong performances to help his side pick up some essential points in their final games of the season.
With teams around them finding form late, a goal or two from Petherick could ease any threat of relegation for New Zealand’s oldest club.
Bold prediction
I predict Metro will continue their run of good form and beat Mt Albert Ponsonby when they play at Phyllis Street Reserve on Friday.
I’ll also predict Hibiscus Coast will beat Northern Rovers at Stanmore Bay Park on Saturday to jump above them into fourth place on the table.
Last week, I predicted Manukau and Hibiscus Coast would pick up wins. Manukau won 3-2 against Ellerslie while Coast beat Mt Albert Ponsonby 2-1.
Golden Boot
24 — Darius Palma (Ngaruawahia United)
16 — Daniel Bunch (Fencibles United)
15 — Kodie Nicol (Fencibles United)
11 — Dylan Horgan (Manukau United), Reuben Henderson (Ngaruawahia United)
10 — Adam Creaney (Metro), Aston Burns (Fencibles United), Joao Moreira (Takapuna), Brodie Putt (North Shore United)
9 — Sam Tutton (Mt Albert Ponsonby), Tinotenda Mupemhena (Franklin United), Nick Petherick (North Shore United), Meysum Shafahi (Manukau United)
7 — Aidan Price (Onehunga Mangere United), Sam Freeman (Metro), Scott Sellar (Mt Albert Ponsonby), Dan Cyra (Hibiscus Coast), Rowan Corbett (Ellerslie)
6 — Hamsa Moosvi (Manukau United), Levi Clark (Ngaruawahia United), Max Adamson (Fencibles United), Tom Durkin (Ellerslie)
5 — Ryan Cain (Northern Rovers), Will Litchfield (Ellerslie)
Fixtures
Games to be played on Friday August 23, 2024
Metro v Mt Albert Ponsonby
Phyllis St, Mt Albert, 7.30pm
Onehunga Mangere United v North Shore United
Mangere Centre Park, 7.30pm
Games to be played on Saturday August 24, 2024
Hibiscus Coast v Northern Rovers
Stanmore Bay, Whangaparaoa, 3pm
Takapuna v Franklin United
Taharoto Park, Takapuna, 3pm
Manukau United v Ngaruawahia United
Walter Massey Park, Manukau, 3pm
Ellerslie v Fencibles United
Michaels Ave, Ellerslie, 5pm
David Larkin
Friends of Football writer David Larkin plays community football for Auckland club Manurewa.
More football stories
